The Only Promise that Remains
by Honor Reid
Summary: AU Eve never received a letter from the library.  Instead she met Moriarty first.  This changes things. (Eve x Moriarty)


**A/N:** A big thank you to my beta _the_rck_ they were the best and really brought my story to the next level. Written for the comm older_not_dead prompt: Their love would see them through a life on the run. Also for hc_bingo prompt: fire. Title is from the song _The Only Promise That Remains_ by Reba McEntire & Justin Timberlake, it is truly a lovely song. If you get a chance you should give it a listen.

* * *

 _And after all the sky is falling down  
And after all the waters washed away  
My love's the only promise that remains_  
-Reba McEntire & Justin Timberlake

 **~The Librarians~**

Eve heard the sound of running footsteps just as she dumped the last of the accelerant onto the concrete. Tossing the plastic bottle into a pile garbage that was off to one side of the alley, Eve took one last glance around, taking in the deserted warehouses on both sides of where she was standing. It was dark and secluded, perfect for what she wanted.

The footsteps got louder and louder still, until Moriarty ran around the corner at a full sprint.

"He's right behind me," he said, panting slightly, stopping in front of Eve.

"Ok, everything's ready," Eve said, placing a comforting hand on his chest where she could feel his racing heartbeat. Then she reached up and gave James a kiss that was just on this side of desperate. "Go. Just give me five minutes to talk him. Then I'll meet you in the car."

He nodded giving her brief kiss, before running out the back of the alley, ducking through a hole in the chain link fence then crossed the street. That was one of the things she loved about James. He never questioned her abilities. His faith in her was refreshing.

Eve felt a curl of anxiety in her stomach at the coming confrontation. It was a bit of a gamble on her part, but Eve knew she didn't want her and Moriarty to have to run forever.

She walked to the center of the alley and pulled her gun from her side holster. Holding it loose at her side, Eve waited. The gun was mostly for show. Eve didn't want to hurt the Librarians. From what she had learned about them they were the good guys. They along with Moriarty had helped stop the apocalypse. The Librarians were needed to protect this world from those who would use magic for evil. She didn't have long to wait before the Librarian ran around the corner and skidded to a stop when he caught sight of her.

Eve raised her gun slightly, mostly to bring it to the Librarians' attention but also as a warning, before saying in a strong authoritative voice, "Lisbon, Paris, Sydney, New York, enough is enough, stop pursuing us."

"He's a fictional," the Librarian said as he spread his hands in a conciliatory gesture. "He was brought to life by Prospero to help end the world."

"But he switched sides. Without his help our world would've been lost," Eve ground out, tired of having this same argument with this arrogant jackass.

Carsen shook his head, "He doesn't belong here," he said, his voice patronizing as he tried to subtly inch forward. "I need to send him back."

Eve raised her gun higher and said, in a cold threatening voice, "Don't take another step." Taking a deep breath in to control her anger, she tempered her tone and said, "We just want to be left alone. Moriarty. Is. Not. Hurting. Anyone. Why do you get to decide who lives and who dies? Why do you get to play god?"

"What? I'm not killing anyone. I'm not playing god…" he spluttered before stopping, his face scrunched up in confusion. Then he opened his mouth, but nothing came out.

"Moriarty is not just a fictional. He is a human being. He breathes, has a heartbeat. He has hopes and dreams for the future. James is _alive_ ," Eve's voice started out firm and confident but by the end she was almost pleading with Carsen trying to make him understand.

For the first time, Eve saw doubt cross Flynn Carsen's face. Eve's stance relaxed minutely in response to the crack in the usually self-assured librarian.

Eve was going to press her point of James' autonomy, but the three junior librarians (as she called them) rounded the corner. Realizing her time was up; Eve cocked the gun causing Carsen to take a startled step backwards. Eve shifted the gun from the Librarian to the pile of garbage where she had tossed the bottle earlier. After firing a single shot, Eve watched as a spark caught the bottle on fire and then the heap was rapidly consumed sending out a wave of heat and flame. Even though she was the one to set it off, the resulting fire ball that came off the pile surprised her, singeing her hand and causing her to take a giant step backwards. Then the fire, as she had planned, spread across the alley in a straight line, effectively cutting off Eve from the quartet of Librarians.

"Leave us alone!" she shouted over the raising flames, cradling her burned hand against her chest. Before she turned and jogged a few steps away. Something made her turn back. She caught Carsen's eye, he seemed frozen in place and he looked conflicted. Finally one of the junior librarians grabbed his arm pulling him away and back the way they came.

Eve ran down the alley and climbed into the waiting car before the Librarians had a chance to double back.

 **~The Librarians~**

 _48 hours and three countries away_

Eve unlocked the apartment door, ushering Moriarty in. It had been a long two days, but they were finally here. The London apartment was actually owned by a friend of hers from her NATO days, and she had permission to use it whenever she wanted. It was off the books and off of most people's radar. It was a studio apartment, small but comfortable enough for the two of them. Plus, it had the added bonus of a state of the art security system.

"I'm going to take a shower," Moriarty said setting their duffle bags by the bed and briefly kissing her temple as he passed by.

He sounded worn out, and Eve was half-tempted to join him. Wanting the comfort of being in close quarters together, allowing the circle of his arms and the warm water to wash away her stress. Instead, she decided to be practical and put on the teakettle so that James would have tea waiting for him when he got out. A nice hot cup of black tea was a special comfort to him, so Eve tried to make sure it was available. Just like he would make sure she had fresh flowers when their situation permitted it. They had learned that it was the little comforts that helped when you were on the run.

She pulled the folders she needed from her messenger bag and set them out on the dining room table. Eve wanted to go over their files again. Maybe she missed something. So she began to studiously read through the files once again. Cassandra Cillian, Ezekiel Jones, Jake Stone, and Flynn Carsen. Eve had been able to use her connections within the military community to acquire a fair bit of information on each of them.

She wasn't sure exactly how the information she had gathered would help, but she figured the more she knew about those who hunted them the better prepared she would be to guess their next move. When she heard the kettle, Eve stopped, and going into the kitchen, she prepared the tea, milk, and sugar for James and honey for Eve. She also took two aspirin because the burn on her hand was starting to hurt.

Just as she placed the tea cups on the table, Moriarty strolled out of the bathroom. She couldn't help giving him an admiring look. He was only wearing a pair of gray pajama pants. With one hand he dried his damp hair with a towel and in his other hand was their first aid kit.

When he saw the tea, his face lit up. He placed the first aid kit on the table and tossed the towel in the general direction of the bathroom. James picked up the tea and took a small sip, closing his eyes in apparent bliss. Just seeing the contentment on his face made the effort worthwhile for Eve. Sitting back down, she gestured for him to join her.

"You are an angel, Duchess," he said with a contented sigh.

"So I'm a Dutch angel now?" she said, deliberately misunderstanding. When he huffed out a laugh, she considered it a win.

He sat down next to her his eyes taking in the folders that were spread out over the table. Cradling his teacup in his hands, he asked, "How's your hand?"

Eve tried to downplay it saying, "It's fine. I barely notice it."

Moriarty sent her a disbelieving look, before unzipping the first aid kit and said, "Let me change the bandage and put more antiseptic ointment on it. We wouldn't want it to get infected."

Admitting to herself he had a point, Eve placed her injured hand in his waiting one. The last thing they needed was to get picked up because they had to go to the ER. Moriarty gently unwrapped the bandage, and then he carefully washed the second degree burn she had received when she used a bit too much accelerant.

That was the thing that had surprised her the most since they started their relationship. Was how gentle the man sitting across from her could be. He was one of the most loving and passionate individuals she had ever met.

He finished placing a new bandage on her hand before gently kissing her fingertips and asking, "What's our time frame?"

Eve withdrew her re-bandaged hand and sat up a bit straighter, rolling her shoulders trying to ease the stiffness out of them. "I would say we have a couple of months. After that we should think about moving on."

Moriarty's eyebrows went up in surprise. "That long?"

Eve smirked a bit and said, "From what I can tell, they're a mess. No discipline. No teamwork. They're all working independently. There's no established leadership. No structure. Plus, thanks to Ariel, we still have our wards up, so they can't find us using magical means, which leaves them tracking us the old fashioned way, which in turn gives us the advantage."

James leaned over, gave her a kiss, and then said with pride in his voice, "Thanks to you."

Eve couldn't help but smile at his confidence in her.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, both reading the files in front of them, before Moriarty asked, "Anymore anonymous tips?"

"No, not yet, but it's early," Eve said with a shrug. They had been on the run from the Librarians for over a year, but three months ago, they started receiving encrypted emails whenever the Librarians were getting close. The messages had been very helpful because there had been a few times when they had almost been caught unawares.

"Do you know who?" James asked, curiosity dripping from every word.

Eve pushed one of the junior librarians' file folders towards Moriarty. "I think it's this one."

"Really? Of the three, that's not who I would've picked," he said, sounding surprised.

"Based on everything I've read on the three of them, I think so," Eve said with a shrug. She smiled continuing on with a hopeful tone, "Plus, in the last email, they mentioned that the tide may be turning in our favor where the other two are concerned. They're starting to see that you do have a right to your existence."

"How generous of them," Moriarty said the words almost dripping with sarcasm. Pushing his chair back suddenly, James stood and walked across the studio apartment to stand in front of the picture window that looked out over the city. "What gives them the right to play judge and jury with my life?"

Eve got up and went to him. Turning him around to face her, she laid her hands on his bare chest and looked up at him saying, "You're correct. They have no right."

At her words, he seemed to deflate a bit. With one hand James cupped the side of her face and tenderly ran his thumb over her cheekbone. Then he said, "You've given up so much for me. What right do I have to disrupt your existence? You deserve more than a life on the run."

Seeing the despair in his brown eyes made her own tears threaten to well up. Eve brought her hand up and clasped his, turning her head slightly so that she could kiss the inside of his palm before saying, "You're right. I do, but so do you. I honestly believe we're so close to being able to stop running."

She looked at Moriarty and said earnestly, "For the first time, I think I was able to get through to him. I actually saw the Librarian doubting his mission. Between that and our anonymous benefactor, we are so close."

Eve looked up at Moriarty, imploring him to believe before saying, "It won't always be this way. We won't have to run forever. I promise. We will have a life together," she said. Then, wrapping her arms around him, she brushed her lips against his, sealing her promise with a kiss. Laying her head against his chest, she said, "I love you."

"I love you too," James said tightening his arms around her. Holding each other, they watched as the sun set over the city.

When the last of the sun's light fell below the horizon, they broke apart. The mood was lighter, and it felt as though they had reaffirmed their commitment and love for each other.

Smiling up at him, Eve arched an eyebrow and said, "Now I think the best thing for us to do is for you to take me to bed."

Moriarty lifted her in a bridal carry and said with a broad smile, "Duchess, your wish is my command."

 **The End**


End file.
